ORANGE PARK, Fla. – It's been more than three months since 7-year-old Somer Thompson disappeared walking home from her Orange Park school. Her body was discovered three days later in a Georgia landfill, and her killer still hasn't been caught.
Diena Thompson, Somer's mother, talked with Channel 4's Jennifer Waugh Tuesday about how her life has changed since that unforgettable day in October.
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Thompson said her pain even now is just as intense as it was the day her daughter disappeared.
"I do a lot of my crying in the afternoon. I don't want to make anyone sad," Thompson said.
She said picking her children up from school can be incredibly difficult.
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"It's painful because I don't know what happened," Thompson said. "I don't know exactly where she went missing, and every time I drive down that road, all I can do is think about those things. I literally feel like I'll have a panic attack just knowing that that's the last place she was."
Thompson said she talks with investigators every week, and while they have not told her a lot about the investigation, like how her daughter was killed, they have hinted about who may have done it.
"I think that they think it's not someone I know and if I know them, I know them by chance, just a chance meeting, not someone who's in my inner circle of friends," Thompson said.
Thompson said she wants to get the word out about what happened to her daughter because it's her way of keeping hope alive -- hope that Somer's killer will be caught.
"If this person is watching, I don't want them to see my cry, because they don't deserve to get to see me, or to assume that I'm week, because I'm not. I'm strong," Thompson said.
If you know anything that could help investigators find Somer's killer, you're asked to call the Clay County tipline at 877-227-6911 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. You can also send an e-mail to cart@claysheriff.com.